South Texas Blood & Tissue sent blood to hospitals in the Texas Panhandle to help some of the injured victims of Thursday night’s deadly tornado.
A tornado that tore through the town of Perryton killed at least five people and injured dozens more. The National Weather Service said the tornado hit after 5 p.m. on Thursday as storms moved through the South.
As part of the Blood Emergency Readiness Corps (BERC), South Texas Blood & Tissue was one of 10 blood centers on call this week to help out in need of an emergency.
The San Antonio blood center sent six units of blood so far.
It’s the fifth time since BERC Network was formed in 2021 that participating blood centers have been called upon to provide blood. Thirty-six community blood centers currently participate.
“We are seeing the tremendous power of communities coming together in a time of need,” said Amanda Hess, Vice President, Donor Relations and Marketing with ImpactLife. “Having consistently strong donor and blood drive support in advance of a crisis is critical. Routine donations made by volunteer donors allow us to assist with disaster response while meeting ongoing needs of the communities we serve.”
Donors can make an appointment with South Texas Blood & Tissue by calling 210-731-5590 or visiting SouthTexasBlood.org.
Same-day appointments and walk-ins are available at the center’s nine donor rooms, as well as at community blood drives.
Blood donor rooms: